Have Time Machine: Will Sell Papes
by eronnactually
Summary: Natalie, Moni, Liz and Eronn are four of the wackiest, wierdest, and craziest girls you'll ever meet. And yup, they're terrorizing the newsies we all know and love. Read and review please!
1. Sixteen Candles and a Wild Journey

DISCLAIMER:  I don't own the newsies.  I own myself.  And I don't own Natalie, Moni or Liz.  They own themselves.

HAVE TIME MACHINE: WILL SELL PAPES

CHAPTER 1

            "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you!  Happy birthday dear Moni!  Happy birthday to you!" the three girls sang.  The fourth girl, Moni, sat in front of a birthday cake with sixteen candles on it.  She took a deep breath and blew them all out in one try.  

            "So what'd you wish for?" Natalie, Moni's best friend asked. 

            "Natalie, she can't tell us or it won't come true" Eronn said, rolling her eyes.

            Lizzy began cutting slices of the cake she had made.  She was such a good cook, so everyone asked her to make their birthday cakes.  It had become something of a tradition.  

            The four girls sat around the table, talking and laughing and eating (but NOT talking with food in their mouths – these girls had manners).  Moni, the birthday girl who had just turned sixteen, was tall and had short, messy hair that was a bright reddish-orange color at the moment.  She loved to dye it occasionally, and right now it was far from her original color.  She was dressed somewhat wildly, in a large, bright red shirt and bright blue pants.  She had a ring on a chain around her neck that was an exact replica of the ring in _The Lord of the Rings_.  

            Natalie had brown hair that went a little below her shoulders and curled slightly.  Her eyes were a grayish color and she was a few inches shorter than Moni.  She was dressed a lot more conservatively in a green tee shirt and jeans with sneakers on her feet.  Her hair was gathered back into a messy ponytail. Neither she nor Moni were that into appearances.

            Liz was sitting next to Natalie, and she was a little taller than Natalie, though not as tall as Moni.  Her hair was a shoulder-length blondish color and she wore it down.  Her eyes were brown.  She was wearing her Oakcrest tee shirt and a pair of jeans.

            Eronn was sitting in between Lizzy and Moni.  She had blondish-brownish hair that went halfway down her back, and her eyes were a dark blue.  She was wearing a sleeveless blue shirt and khaki shorts.  Her hair was done neatly in two French braids.

            The four girls, who were in tenth grade, finished eating and went into Moni's room.  

            "Your house is so cool" Eronn told her, looking up the winding staircase.

            "Yeah, it looks like a church or a cathedral or something" Liz told her.

            "Thanks" Moni answered.  "You two haven't been over here before, have you?"

            They shook their heads no.  Natalie had been there tons of times, so they didn't bother asking her.  She had been at Moni's house almost every weekend since they met in eighth grade.  In fact, all the girls first met in eighth grade, when they started high school.  (AN:  I know, this sounds weird, but we went to a school that went from 7th to 12th grade.  We weren't technically in high school, but it felt like it.)

            Moni started talking about her latest fanfiction, "Samwise Gamgee Woke Up Gay".  (AN: This really is a fic my friend wrote – it's hilarious, so search for it and read it.  It's totally worth it if you've seen _Lord of the Rings_.)

            "That doesn't sound too good" Liz told her doubtfully.

            "Yeah, I didn't know you wrote like that Moni" Eronn told her.

            "It's not like _that_," Natalie said.  "It's humorous."

            "Yes, my author's trying to make Sam and Frodo gay, but the characters don't want to be, so they keep thwarting the author," Moni said, a mischievous grin on her face.  

            "Y'know, that movie was okay, but it definitely couldn't compare to Harry Potter" Eronn said.

            "NOOOO!" Lizzy whined, falling back on Moni's bed.  "Not this again, please."

            "But it's true!" Eronn protested.

            "It is not." Natalie broke in.  You know that Harry Potter can _never _compare to The Lord of the Rings."

            "You're not really qualified to judge Natalie" Moni told her.  "You haven't even seen Harry Potter yet, but _I _have, and The Lord of the Rings was definitely better."

            Eronn shook her head in mock disgust.  "Oh come on you guys" Liz interceded again.  "They're both good, we all know that.  So let's change the subject."

            At that moment, Moni's mom called from the bottom of the stairs.  "Monica, your grandmother's on the phone.  Please come talk to her!"  

            "Coming!" Moni yelled.  "I'll be right back you guys!" she said to her friends.

            As Moni ran out of her room, Eronn began looking around.  "I never knew Moni was so into science" she commented, looking at a few chemistry sets, a microscope, a telescope, and some other sciency-looking objects that she didn't recognize.  She went up to some large contraption in the corner of the room and started fiddling with it.  

            "Yeah, she's like a closet scientist" Natalie joked.  "She never tells anyone about it."

            Eronn looked at the nobs on the thingamabob, and looked up to see a map on the wall in front of her.  Eronn noticed a place on the machine that looked like longitude and latitude measures would go in, so she looked on the map and put in the coordinates for New York City.  Then she fiddled with the part that had the current date in it so that it was set back to 1899.  

            "What are you doing Eronn?" Natalie asked.  

            "I don't know.  Just looking at this thing here."

            Moni walked in a moment later, and Eronn turned to her.  "Hey, what's this thing?" she asked as she whirled around, hitting a small lever on it as she turned around.

            "NOOOO!  DON'T!" was the last thing the four remembered Moni shouting, as the room began spinning, the floor disappeared from under them, and they were dropped into a place that looked wholly unfamiliar to them.

****************************

            The girls found themselves in what appeared to be a very dirty, very smelly, and very hot alley.  Moni uttered things under her breath that are best left unsaid.  Natalie looked like she was about to faint.  Liz opened her eyes slowly, and then closed them again, as if hoping she would be back in Moni's room when she opened them again.  Eronn sat there with her mouth open and stared mutely around her, terrified.  

            The first to speak was Moni.  "ERONN!" she yelled.

            Eronn cowered behind Liz.  "Save me!" she whispered.

            "What just happened?" Natalie asked in a quiet voice.

            "Eronn messed with my time-travel device, that's what happened!"

            "YOUR WHAT?" Eronn, Natalie and Liz all yelled.

            "You heard me!" Moni said defensively.  

            "Since when have you been trying to make a time machine?" Natalie asked.

            "That's not important!  What matters is that we're stuck here!"

            "I'm your best friend and you didn't tell me?" Natalie asked, pouting.

            "Did you just say we're stuck here?" Liz asked.

            "Omigod!  You don't know how to get us back?" Eronn asked, terrified.

            "I hadn't gotten to that stage yet, no.  That's why I hadn't tried it yet!"  She was yelling again.

            "Oops" Eronn said.  

            "I'll say" Natalie said, staring ahead sadly.

            "But I didn't know!" Eronn said defensively.  "How could I have known?"

            "Well, you probably would've messed with it if you had known, though" Liz pointed out.

            "All the more reason for Moni to hide that kind of stuff from me!"

            "Hey, don't put the blame on me!"

            "Well you did invent the thing," Natalie told her.  "Are you sure we're really in a different time, though?  It's just so hard to believe."

            "I wish we weren't" Moni told her.  "But we'd better go check just to be doubly sure."

            She stood up and the other girls followed.  The alley they were in dead ended right in front of them, but in the other direction it turned and then went towards the street.

            The girls walked around the corner, saw the people in the streets, and turned right back around.

            "We're definitely in the past," Lizzy said.

            "Yup" the others agreed.

            "Exactly what time are we in though?" Natalie asked.  "And where?  That could be helpful to know."

            "What time did you put in the machine, Eronn?" Moni asked.

            "Same day, 1899, in New York City" she told them.  She laughed uncertainly.  "What can I say?  Newsies is my newest obsession."  Her eyes lit up.  "Do you think we might meet the newsies?"

            "Eronn, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but _Newsies_ is just a movie.  I'm sorry to have to destroy all your childhood allusions, but the things that happen in movies are not real." Lizzy told her, half seriously, half jokingly.

             "I knew that" Eronn muttered.

            "Well, we're not going to get anything done by sitting in this filthy alley" Moni pointed out.  "Maybe I can try to put together a time machine here.  If I can do that, then I can just send us into the future, back to our own times!"  She was getting excited now.

            "That's great!" Natalie said.  "But where are you going to get the stuff to make it?"

            "Yeah, won't you need money, a place to keep it?" Eronn asked.

            "Yes.  We're going to have to figure out something."

            "Can we get out of this alley, though, first?" Liz asked.  "It smells in here."

            The others agreed and they set off out of the alley.  Once on the street, they realized how strange they must look to passer-bys.  Moni especially, but all the others were getting strange looks too.  "I feel like a slut!" Eronn whispered.  She was the only one in shorts.  

            "We'd better make changing our clothes one of our first priorities" Liz said.

            "Yeah, I don't want to be thought of as a slut," Eronn added.

            "What time is it?" Liz asked.

            "Almost 12:30" Moni replied.  

            Eronn looked around a little.  "Wait a second!" she said.

            "What is it?" Natalie asked.

            "Does this look familiar to you guys?"

            They glanced around.  "Now that you mention it, it does a little" Liz told her.  "It looks a lot like –"

            "Newsies!" Eronn screeched.  "We're near Tibby's!  C'mon."

            They walked farther down the street, and sure enough, there was Tibby's.  They stood across the street, just staring at it, when Natalie whispered, "Um, does that guy look familiar to you guys?"

             Eronn almost hyperventilated.  "Is that who I think it is?" Liz asked in disbelief.

            "It sure looks like him," Moni said, as he turned and walked into Tibby's with another newsie that had just appeared.

"It's Blink!  And that other kid who just walked up was Snipes!"  Eronn jumped up and down like a hyper child.  "And they're exactly like they were in the movie.  So there!"  She stuck out her tongue at Liz.

            "That's really odd" Moni commented.  "Technically, they shouldn't look like the characters in the movie."

            "He didn't just look like him – he _was _the character in the movie," Natalie told her.

            Eronn gasped.  "I've got a brilliant idea!"

            "What is it?" Natalie asked.

            "We can become newsies!"

            "I don't want to be a newsie!" Moni exclaimed.

            Liz and Natalie were silent, however.  

            Natalie grinned.  "That could be so exciting!" she said cheerfully.

            "Wouldn't it?" Eronn agreed.

            "You two!" Moni said, exasperated.  "C'mon Liz, you agree with me, right?"

            "Actually…" Liz hesitated.  "It sounds kind of cool.  And I've always liked Newsies.  I say we give it a try."

            Moni sighed.  "Looks like you're outnumbered," Natalie told her.

            "C'mon, lets go into Tibby's and try to meet the newsies," Eronn told them.  "We're going to need to get to know them so we can convince them to let us stay at the lodging house.  Otherwise we'll have to sleep in the streets."

            With that, the four girls turned and walked across the street and entered Tibby's.

TBC…

AN: Thanks to Natalie for figuring out a goofy title for this goofy fic.  Please review this, pretty please.  And I'll update as soon as possible, it's just I'm now working on three fics at once, so I'll be as fast as possible, but I can't make any guarantees.  


	2. Anybody Want a Peanut?

DISCLAIMER:  I don't own the newsies.  I don't own my friends.  They own themselves.  I own myself.

SHOUT-OUTS:

**Mushtmblr:**  Glad you like it so far.

**Mainecoon:**  Well, I'm glad the science stuff wasn't TOTALLY out there!

**Raven:**  Don't worry – one of us definitely won't get together with a boy.  And my friends are way too, um, odd (in the nicest way of course) to ever get boring.

**Hobbes:  **I know it's unlikely, but think of the possibilities!  And I'm glad you're enjoying it.

**Lshorty:  **Thanks!

AN:  The newsies don't speak w/ New York accents 'cause I didn't feel like writing it!

HAVE TIME MACHINE: WILL SELL PAPES

CHAPTER 2

            Moni led the way into Tibby's, with Natalie, Eronn and Liz following her.  They noticed the newsies sitting in the left corner of the restaurant.  Moni, however, headed towards the right.

            "So, what's the plan?" Liz asked.  "We can't just walk up to them."

            "We can't?" Eronn asked, glancing over at the boys.

            "Well, we should work out something to say" Natalie agreed.

            "The girls in the fan-fics never have to worry about what they're going to say!" Eronn whined.  "They just tell the newsies they're from the future!"

            "Eronn, what would you think if somebody came up to you and told you they were from 2050?" Moni asked.

            "OK, OK.  You have a point."

            "So, what are we going to say?" Natalie asked again.

            "Hey, do we have any money?" Moni asked suddenly, and rather randomly.

            "Why?" Liz asked.

            "I'm hungry."

            "But we just ate!" Natalie exclaimed.  "How can you possibly be hungry again?"

            "I just am," Moni said as if the answer was obvious, with an imperturbable stare.

            Eronn pulled out her wallet from her pocket.  "Good thing my stepfather makes me carry identification with me wherever I go" she said, grinning.  "I have twenty dollars and lots of change.  That should be enough for a little while."

            "We can't use the bills though," Liz pointed out.

            "Why?"

            "Cause I don't think money looked like that back then, Eronn," Liz explained.

            "Oh."  Eronn frowned.

            "Well, what about the change?" Natalie asked.  "What *did* pennies look like in 1899?"

            "They look the same, except for the dates," Liz told them.  "My grandpa collects coins, and I remember seeing some from the late 1800s, so I know."

            "Well, that's good 'cause I have lots of pennies" Eronn told them.  "I just hope they don't look at the dates too closely.  I wouldn't accept money that said 2050 either."

            "But we shouldn't eat right now" Liz told them.  "We should try and save what money we can use."

            "Agreed," said Natalie and Eronn.

            "Oh, all right" Moni said reluctantly.  "But if I keel over, it's your guys fault."

            "Um, we'd better hurry up and come up with an excuse!" Eronn said urgently.  "The newsies are almost done with their food."

            "I've got it!" Natalie said.  "Eronn, pretend to be blind.  Liz, you pretend to guide her. Run into the newsies as they leave."

            "Pretend to be blind?" Eronn asked.  "I don't know, Natalie."

            "Well fine then," Natalie answered, frustrated.  "Just run into them, then!"

            Eronn grinned.  "You don't have to tell me twice!"

            "What am I supposed to do?" Moni asked.

            "Well, since you're the best actress of us all, you can pretend to be all worried that Eronn hurt her ankle.  Eronn, pretend you can't walk after you fall down.  Then maybe you can let drop, Moni, that we have nowhere to take Eronn.  Hopefully they'll offer to let us use the Lodging House."

            "I hope this will work" Liz said, skeptically.

            "And I hope one of the newsies offers to carry me back!" Eronn said happily.

            "They're leaving" Moni said, looking over her shoulder.  "Hurry up and go, Eronn."

            Eronn pretended to be lost in thought, and Liz walked along next to her.  When they got really close to the newsies, who were leaving Tibby's, Liz gave her a little shove into Blink.

            Natalie's plan worked a little too well.  Eronn's foot got caught with Blink's, causing it to turn ever so slightly.  Eronn fell to the ground; Blink stumbled back into Racetrack, who got tangled up with Jack who was next to him.  In the end Eronn, Blink, Race and Jack were on the floor, Eronn clutching her ankle in pain and crying.  Really crying.

            "Eronn, are you alright?" Natalie said, really upset, coming over to where Eronn was on the floor.

            "Natalie, I don't think she's alright," Liz whispered.  "And she wasn't supposed to really get hurt."

            "She's not hurt!" Natalie replied, uncertainly.  "She's just a better actress then we thought.  Maybe."

            "Are you hurt?" Blink asked, concerned, from next to Eronn on the floor.

            "No" Eronn said quietly, tears streaming down her cheeks.  "My ankle really hurts!"

            Moni rushed over to Eronn, ready to play her part.  "Oh my God!" she exclaimed.  "Eronn, how could this happen!  You know we have nowhere to take care of you!"  She was in major drama queen mode.

            "What's going on?" Jack asked, confused.

"What are we going to do with her?" Moni practically wailed.

            "Well, why don't you take her back to the Newsies' Lodging House?" Crutchy suggested from nearby.  

"We're all newsies," Race explained to the four girls.

            "That would be really great" Natalie gushed at Crutchy, smiling at him somewhat flirtatiously.  Or at least, flirtatiously for Natalie.

            "Hey, wait a minute!" Jack said.  "Why exactly are we taking them back to the Lodging House?" Jack asked.

            "Because this one here's hurt her ankle, and they have nowhere else to stay," Blink explained.

            "C'mon Jack, they could become newsies too" Race said persuasively.

            "Please let us become newsies.  Pretty please" Eronn said pathetically from the floor.  "Or it'll be back to the orphanage for us."

            "You're from an orphanage?" Boots asked, coming up to the group.

            Eronn nodded.  "We just jailbreaked today" Moni explained, playing along.

            "Oh sure."

            "Yeah, that's what happened," Natalie and Liz agreed.

            "Why'd you guys leave?" Jack asked, suspiciously.

            The girls looked at each other.  "Because they made us dress like this!" Eronn blurted out.  "Wouldn't you have run, too?  And do you guys have a change of clothes, by any chance?"  She gave them a hopeful smile.

            "Oh, alright, you can bring them to the Lodging House" Jack agreed.  "I guess they can stay in what we've been using as the sick room."

            "Great!" Natalie exclaimed.  "Let's go."

            Everyone started heading out the door, except for Liz and Eronn.  "Hey, a little help here people?" Liz yelled after them.  "I can't lift Eronn by myself!"

            Blink came back and picked Eronn up.  "Let's go," he said as Eronn smiled happily.

            "We should introduce ourselves," Jack told them.  "I'm Jack Kelly, or Cowboy.  That's Blink over there, and these here are Racetrack, Boots, Mush, Crutchy, Specs."  

            "What happened to the rest of the newsies in Tibby's?" Eronn asked.

            "They went to finish selling their papes."

            "So what are your names?" Race asked Liz.

            "I'm Liz, and this is Moni and Natalie.  Blink is carrying Eronn."

            "So where are you four from?" Jack asked them.

            "New Jersey."

            "Wisconsin."

            "Philadelphia."

            "Middle Earth."

            All four girls answered at the exact same moment.  "None of us are from around here," Natalie explained.

            "Oh" Jack said.

            "Where exactly *is* Middle Earth?" Mush asked, confused.

            "Oh, Moni's just trying to pull your leg" Natalie told him. 

            "She does that a lot," Liz said.

            The group had slowed down, but Jack had continued on ahead.  "Come on you guys!" he said, frustrated.  "We still have papes to sell sometime today!"

            Liz looked over at Eronn and said, with a perfectly straight face "That Jack, he sure can fuss."

            Eronn grinned, catching on.  "Fuss, fuss.  I think he like to scream at us."

            "Probably he means no harm."

            "He's really very short on charm."

            "You have a gift for rhyme."

            "Yes, yes, some of the time."

            "Enough of that!" Nancy broke in.

            "Eronn, are there rocks ahead?" Liz continued.

            "If there are, we'll all be dead!"

            Nancy spoke again.  "No more rhymes, I mean it."

            "Anybody want a peanut?" Eronn asked.

            Moni just rolled her eyes.  The newsies looked at the girls like they were crazy.

            "Um, what was *that* about?" Race asked.

            "It's from one of our favorite movies" Liz explained.

            "Movies?" Blink asked Eronn.

            "Flickers, really."

            "Oh.  Can we see this flicker sometime?"

            "Sometime.  In the future" Moni said, grinning.

            Jack glared at the girls.  "We were joking" Natalie told him, catching the look on his face.  "Don't take everything so seriously.  We think you have plenty of charm.  Don't we girls?"

            "Oh yeah."

            "Barrels full!"

            "Could I borrow some?"

            They reached the Lodging House, and they walked inside.  "Hey Kloppman, we've got some new newsies for you to meet" Jack told him.

            Kloppman slowly looked over the rim of his glasses and frowned at the girls.  "We've never had girls in here before."

            "Well, we do now your Honor" Race told him persuasively.  "They can stay in the sick room.  After all, we haven't had any boys get sick in months."

            "Please, Kloppman?" Boots asked.

            Kloppman melted.  "All right, that's fine.  But no funny business around here, you girls understand?"

            The girls nodded solemnly, while secretly trying not to grin.  Then, after Kloppman let them go, Jack led the way upstairs to show them to their room.

            There were four bunks in the room, and Blink put Eronn down on one of the bottom ones.  "Hey, I want a top bunk!" Eronn said.

            "Well, you're going to have to get up there yourself" Blink told her.  "You're heavy."

            "Hey!"

            "She's not fat!" Liz told him.  "She simply retains water!"

            "That didn't help, Liz," Eronn muttered.

            "You can have a top bunk Eronn" Natalie told her.  "Just wait until your foot feels better."

            "I want a top bunk too!" Moni said.

            "Hey, I want the other top bunk!" Natalie replied.

            "Ha ha ha – you already told me I could have a top bunk!" Eronn taunted.

            "I should have the bunk," Natalie argued.

            "No, I think I should have it," Moni replied.

            "Are they *always* like this?" Jack asked Liz.

            "Worse," Liz replied with a smirk that widened to a grin as the other three girls glared at her.

            "Just because you're mature," Moni muttered.

            "I'm mature!" Natalie said.

            "In what alternate universe, Natalie?" Eronn asked.

            "Guys, cut it out!" Liz yelled.  Then she turned to the newsies.  "They're normally not this bad.  I can usually handle them, it's just they've been through a lot today."

            The other three girls noticed the strange looks they were getting from the newsies.  That wasn't good.  So Natalie did the only thing she could think of to distract them.  "Hey, who knows how to play poker?" she asked.


	3. Where's the Mute Button?

DISCLAIMER:  I don't own Newsies or my friends.

AN:  OK, here's another chapter.  Please review, and the song I quote from in here is by Steven Sondheim.  Please understand that the play it is from is NOT supposed to be taken seriously, so don't get really disgusted or anything.  It's meant to be a dark comedy.  I hope you all enjoy this!

HAVE TIME MACHINE: WILL SELL PAPES

CHAPTER 3

            The newsies and the four girls all sat on the floor of the boy's bunkroom.  All, that is, except Jack.  He was pacing around the room, complaining that they still had papes to sell.  The other newsies ignored him while Race dealt out the cards.  "So do you four know how to play poker?" Race asked.

            Liz nodded while Natalie, Eronn and Moni shook their heads.  "Natalie, I thought you knew how to play –" Moni started to say, but was cut off when Natalie jabbed her elbow into Moni's side.

            "I do not know how to play poker," she told her.  "I asked because I wanted to learn."  She smiled at Crutchy who was sitting next to her.  "Do you think you could help me?" she asked him sweetly.

            Eronn gaped while Liz tried to turn her laughter into coughs, unsuccessfully.  Moni merely rolled her eyes.  "Of all the hot newsies she could've picked" Eronn whispered to Liz, "she picked Crutchy!"

            "For some reason, that doesn't really surprise me" Liz replied.

            Eronn shrugged.  "So how do you play poker?"

            Race launched into a long, complicated explanation that Eronn and Moni didn't understand (Natalie *did* already know how to play poker), but they shrugged and started playing on the stipulation that they weren't betting money.  Eronn gave up halfway through the game and Moni stuck it through.  Natalie did pretty badly because she was so wrapped up in Crutchy, but Liz surprised everyone but winning hands down.  

            "Can't we play with money this time?" Liz complained.

            "Liz, you don't have any money," Eronn reminded her.

            "Oh, that's true."  Liz shrugged.  "Who wants to lend me money?" she yelled.  "Oh, come on" she said when no one answered.  "You guys are no fun," she muttered.

            "It don't matter" Jack said.  "We have to get back to selling our papes!"

            "Oh lighten up Jacky-boy" Moni told him.  "Live a little."

            Jack sighed.  He wasn't liking these girls too much at the moment.  "Listen up boys!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.  "We can't go ta Medda's tonight until youse guys sell all your papes!  So you'd better get to it!"

            It was amazing how fast the newsies scattered.  Racetrack had the presence of mind to go into the boy's room and get some clothes for the girls to wear.

            The boys went downstairs while the girls changed their clothes.  "At least we get to wear pants," Moni said.

            Once they were dressed, they went downstairs to the main room.

"Can I tag along with you, Crutchy?" Natalie asked, smiling at him.  "I've never sold papes before."

            "Well sure" Crutchy agreed, smiling so widely that his tongue was nearly hanging out of his mouth.  

            Moni shook her head at this, and Liz whispered to Eronn "Why have we never seen this side of Natalie before?"

            Eronn shrugged.  "I don't know, but she's going to make me sick if she keeps it up much longer."

            "Do you think you can walk?" Blink asked Eronn.  

            "Well, considering I just walked down the stairs, I think I can."

            "Oh good.  Do you want to sell with me?" Blink asked.  

Eronn smiled.  "I'd love to."

            "C'mon you guys!" Jack yelled again.  "We have to go!"

            "We're coming" Moni grumbled.  She grabbed Natalie by her collar and pulled her away from Crutchy, as everyone headed out the door.

            They all split once they reached the street.  Natalie and Crutchy headed off right away.  Liz and Eronn went with Blink.  Moni decided she was going to sell with Jack, since he was fun to annoy.  Jack, needless to say, was not happy with this arrangement.  All the other newsies headed off by themselves, or in groups of two or three.

            Crutchy hadn't taken that many papes that morning at the Distribution Office, so he and Natalie sold his fairly quickly.  After they were done, they sat in front of Irving Hall, where they would meet all the newsies later, and talked.  Or rather, Natalie talked and Crutchy listened.  

            She told him about her family, about how she wanted to get a new cat since her old one, Pumpkin, had died.  She told him what she liked to read, who her favorite author's were, what she liked to write about.  She was a very literary person, so they were still talking about her writing much later when the rest of the newsies arrived.

            Meanwhile, with Blink, Liz and Eronn were having a good time exploring New York City in 1899.  Eventually, they started to help Blink sell his papes.  He had taken a lot, but they weren't even halfway through yet.  'How about I sing to attract customers?" Eronn suggested.

            "I don't think that's such a good idea-" Liz started to say, but she was cut off by Eronn, who started singing "King of New York."

            She got really into it.  By the time she reached "And there I be, ain't I pretty?  It's my city, I'm the King of New York!" she was dancing along with it.  

            Liz and Blink stood along the side of the road, just watching her.  A crowd had also gathered around her.  Liz went up to one of the on-lookers and asked if he wanted to buy a pape.  "All our money is going towards trying to put her in a mental institution!" she said sweetly.  Without thinking twice, the man gave her a nickel for the pape.  Blink started doing the same thing, and by the time Eronn had sung "Go Go Go Joseph" from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and "I've Got a Theory" from the musical Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode, Liz and Blink had managed to get rid of all their papes.  By then, it was almost time to go to Irving Hall, so they headed there.

            Moni was probably having the best time of all the other girls.  She discovered that Jack hated being asked questions.  So she asked him why he was wearing a cowboy hat and bandanna.  When he told her he wanted to go to Santa Fe and become a cowboy, she asked him why he wanted to do that.  When he answered that, she asked how he knew that everything was "different" in Santa Fe.  When he answered that, she asked why he though he could trust those dime-novels that he had read about Santa Fe in.  Moni managed to go on like this for about two hours.  She distracted Jack so much that when they headed off to Irving Hall, he still had twenty papes left.

            They walked up to the front, where the other newsies were now waiting.  "Hey Jack, why do you still have papes left?" Race asked, taking a cigar out of his mouth.  Jack just glared and pointed at Moni.

            "Who me?" Moni asked innocently.

            Jack chose to ignore her, and moved over to talk to Blink.  The four girls congregated together to talk about their day.  "So, how'd it go?" Liz asked everyone cheerfully.

            "Great!" Natalie said in a very chipper voice.

            "Mar-velous" Moni said, grinning wickedly.  "Jack is fun to annoy."

            "You know how bad mine was" Eronn pouted.

            "Oh, what happened?" Natalie asked.

            "Blink told her that she reminded him of his sister" Liz said, trying not to laugh.

            "I don't want to discuss it" Eronn said, walking away.  She managed to pass Jack just as he asked Blink when the others would arrive.  "What others?" she asked.

            "Just some boys from Brooklyn and Midtown" Blink told her.

            "Really?" Eronn asked, practically jumping up and down, but trying to contain herself in front of the boys.

            "Uh, yeah" Jack told her, looking at her strangely.

            Eronn walked away and hopped over to her friends.  "Hey guys!  Brooklyn's coming!" she practically squealed.  She grabbed Liz's arm and continued bouncing.  "Isn't that great?"

            "Calm down" Liz told her.  

            "So someone has a crush on Spot, huh?" asked Race, coming up to them.  "I couldn't help overhearing" he added.

            Eronn looked like a deer in the headlights.  "Don't tell him!" she told Race, terrified.

            Moni rolled her eyes.  "You've never even met him Eronn."

            Eronn stuck out her lip and gave Moni her best pouty expression.  "Don't tell Spot what?" Race said loudly, as he saw Spot walk up to Jack.

            Spot turned when he heard his name.  "Tell me what?" he asked, walking over to Race.

            "Oh, nothing" Natalie said, covering.  "We were just joking around."

            Eronn jabbed her in the ribs, but it was too late.  

            "Joking?  About _me_?" Spot asked, trying his best to be intimidating to the four girls.

            "You never make fun of Spot Conlon!" Eronn whispered to Natalie.  

            "Well, at least someone treats me with respect" Spot said.  "What's your name?"

            "Me?"

            "Yeah, you."

            "Well, my name is Eronn, and these are my friends Moni, Liz and Natalie.  We just became newsies today."

            "It's fun," Moni added, grinning like the Cheshire cat.  "I got to sell with Jack.  Hee hee."

            Spot looked at her a little strangely.  "Glad to hear it" he said, still eyeing Moni.  "So Race, how's it going?" he asked, turning towards him.

            "Hey, you guys!" Jack yelled.  Moni immediately started talking.  

            "Oh, stop it Moni" Natalie whispered to her.

            "Let's go inside!" Jack said, after sending a glare to Moni.

            "Are you coming?" Spot asked, turning towards Eronn.

            "Of course" Eronn said, smiling.  She walked in next to Spot, and Crutchy offered his free arm to Natalie.  Moni began asking Jack questions again, and Liz walked along next to them, feeling highly entertained by all her friends.

            The show began soon, and the girls were polite and didn't say anything bad about it during the show, but afterwards they began criticizing it immediately.  "They call that music?" Moni asked, snorting.

            The other girls nodded.  "She's kinda old too," Liz pointed out.

            "Hey, maybe Moni and Eronn should start their own show" Natalie said to Liz.  "They can both sing."

            "Yeah – how about the song from Sweeny Todd?" Moni asked.

            "The Demon Barber of Fleet Street?"

            "Yup."

            "I don't know all the lyrics."

            "Neither do I."

            "OK, lets start then."  And off they were down the street, singing with very bad cockney accents:

"Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd,

His skin was pale and his eye was odd.

He shaved the faces of gentle men,

Who never thereafter were heard of again.

He trod a path that few have trod,

Did Sweeney Todd…

The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

He kept a shop in London Town,

Of fancy clients and good renowed.

And what if none of their souls were saved,

They went to their maker impeccably shaved.

By Sweeny,

By Sweeny Todd…

The Demon Barber of Fleet Street."

            "I don't know them," Liz said, cowering.

            "Why did I suggest this again?" Natalie asked.

            "Hey, they're good, so leave them alone" Spot said, coming up from behind them.

            Eronn and Moni had by this time run out of lyrics and rejoined the group.  "Thank goodness you stopped" Liz commented.

            "You didn't like my singing?" Eronn asked, pouting.

            "I like your singing.  It's just sometimes I wish you had a mute button."

            "Well I liked it" Spot told her.

            "Really?"

            "Yeah, you guys were pretty good, but that story sound a little weird" Race broke in.  "Who ever heard of a demon barber?"

            "He's not really a demon," Moni explained.  "He just kills his customers and the lady who lived below him makes them into meat pies."

            There was a chorus of "Ewws" from everybody else.  "It's a comedy" Eronn explained.  "We didn't expect you to understand," she said, with the air of a martyr.

            Soon after, however, she and Moni were laughing and joking again.  They reached the Lodging House and all the Manhattan newsies headed inside, while the other newsies left to go back to their territories.  Eronn nearly swooned when Spot winked at her and told her he'd see her soon.  And it was all she talked about that night.  About two hours later, Eronn finally fell asleep, which allowed the other girls to sleep as well.

TBC…

And next time, we pretty much start the movie!  Please review, pretty please!

One person mentioned that they were having trouble keeping the characters straight, so here's an overview:

Natalie: likes to talk, is incredibly cheerful, likes Crutchy

Liz: the most sensible of all the girls, but still fun-loving, best at poker,

Moni: odd in the best sense of the word

Eronn (the author): likes Spot and singing wacky songs with Moni

You can post any more questions about the characters in your reviews, or email me with ?s!


	4. You Think I'm Gorgeous You Want to Kiss...

DISCLAIMER:  I don't own the newsies.

HAVE TIME MACHINE: WILL SELL PAPES

CHAPTER 4

            The next morning, the girls were awakened by Kloppman pounding on their door.  He was too polite to go inside and wake them (he wasn't sure what they slept in) so instead he settled for getting to their room extra early and pounding on the door for ten minutes until he heard sounds of intelligent life forms.

            The girls heard the pounding and finally managed to crawl out of their beds and inform Kloppman that they were awake.  They took turns using the small bathroom that connected to the room, then did their hair (well, Natalie, Liz and Eronn did their hair – Moni often liked hers to be as messy as possible) and had nothing left to do because they had gone to bed in their clothes.

            They wandered downstairs to ask Kloppman when they would have to leave, and discovered that they still had about a half hour until it was time to leave the Lodging House.  "I though girls like you would spend more time primping" Kloppman told them apologetically.

            "You obviously don't know us very well," Liz told him.

            "Well, it was a legitimate assumption" Eronn pointed out.

            "How is that?" Natalie asked.

            "Well, most girls of this era probably have nothing better to do than worry about their appearance."

            "You know, you could say that about our era as well" Moni broke in.

            "Your era?" Kloppman asked.  "You young ones are confusing me."

            "I confuse myself sometimes" Moni told him.  "So you can join the club."

            "What club?" Kloppman asked.  "You girls are forming a club?  What kind is it going to be?"

            "We're not forming a club," Liz told him.  "Moni was just sympathizing with you, that's all."

            The other girls nodded.  "Let's go back upstairs" Natalie said a second later, abruptly changing the subject.

            "OK" the girls agreed.  

            "Sayonara Kloppman" Natalie said as she left the room.

             Kloppman just looked more confused as the girls filed out of the room, then shrugged his shoulders.  "Young 'uns" he said, as if that explained everything.

*****************************

            The girls climbed the stairs and headed towards their door, except for Eronn who crouched by the newsies' door.

            "What are you doing?" Natalie asked.

            "Looks fun" Moni said.  "Can I join?"

            "Sure you can Moni.  And I'm listening to the newsies."

            "Why?" Liz asked cautiously.

            "Shhh" Eronn said, cautioning them to be quiet.  She pressed her ear to the door, the sighed.  "They're not singing" she said, disappointed.

            "Did you actually expect them to sing?" Liz asked.

            Eronn shrugged, and then sat down against the wall near the door.

            Natalie sat next to her.  "It's OK, Eronn.  Just because they're not singing the songs doesn't mean we can't."

            "You're brilliant Natalie!" Eronn said, jumping up excitedly.  "C'mon everybody – let's sing Carrying the Banner right now as we get ready to sell our papes!"

            "We're already ready to sell our papes" Liz informed her.

            "Spoilsport.  We can still sing it, right?"

            "Sounds good to me" Moni said.  "I love that song.  How does it go again?"

            "Well" Natalie said, "I don't know it all, but I know for a fact that Liz does."

            "That's very true Natalie" Eronn said.  "But Liz would never sing in public, would you Liz?"

            "Why wouldn't she?" Moni asked, not getting that Natalie and Eronn were trying to use reverse psychology on Liz.  "And there's nothing wrong with it – you sang with me in the street yesterday Eronn."

            Natalie and Eronn glanced at each other, then at Liz.  

            "Please?" Nancy asked.

            "Pretty please?" Eronn asked.

            "Pretty please with a cherry on top!" Moni recited, more an exclamation than a query.

            "Oh, fine" Liz said.  "But only if you guys sing it with me."

            "Yay!" Eronn and Natalie yelled.  

            They all moved into their room and began singing:

_That's my cigar!_

Liz began quietly.  "Louder!" Moni put in.

            "Shut up!" Natalie told her.

            "Keep singing!" Eronn hissed.

            They continued.

_You'll steal another!_

_Hey bummers we got work to do._

            "Like what?" Moni put in.

_Since when did you become me mudder?_

Moni, Natalie and Eronn all turned and looked at Liz on this line.

_Aw stop your bawling!_

Liz said by herself.

_Hey, who asked you?_

            All the girls chimed back in, trying to act like they were annoyed, although Natalie was failing horribly.

            They all continued singing together.

_Try Bottle Alley or da Harbor._

            By this time Eronn had totally gotten into it and was doing her best impression of the newsies in the movie.

_Try Central Park it's guaranteed._

            Eronn elbowed Natalie, trying to convey the impression that she was giving her a tip, but failed miserably, resulting in a strange look from Natalie.

_Try any banker bum or barber,_

            Natalie shrugged, not bothering to find out what Eronn meant.

_They almost all knows how ta read._

_I smell money!_

By this point Moni had gotten totally into it.  She even did jazz hands on this line.

_You smell foul!_

            Liz held her nose and sang in a nasal voice.

_Met this goil last night!_

The girls sang this line but sort of petered down on the "goil" part.

_Eh, move your elbow!_

            Liz and Natalie began elbowing each other lightly, as if they were fighting.

_Pass the towel!_

Moni sang this directly into Eronn's ear, causing near deafness.

_For a buck I might!_

            Eronn sang back just as loud in Moni's ear.

_Ain't it a fine life, carrying the banner through it all?_

            Natalie was really into it, and she, Moni and Eronn joined in dancing around the room.

_A mighty fine life, carrying the banner tough and tall!_

They went up to Liz and tried to drag her along with them.

_Every morning, we goes where we wishes,_

_We's as free as fishes, sure beats washing dishes,_

            Liz managed to break away from the group at this point and sat down on Eronn's bunk below hers.

_What a fine life, carrying the banner home free all!_

The girls had an audience at this point, but were too wrapped up in the song to notice.

_It takes a smile as sweet as butter!_

Eronn sang this line, flashing a really fake smile that showed as much of her gums as possible.

_The kind that ladies can't resist._

Natalie sang this line, fluttering her eyelashes.

_It takes an orphan with a stutter._

            Moni sang this line with the usual stutter, only she put lots of emphasis on the "ter" in "stutter", giving it a "superstar" type ring.  (AN:  Y'know the movie Superstar based on the SNL skit?   This is supposed to be said like the lady in that says superstar.)

_Who ain't afraid ta use his fist!_

Liz finally sighed and got into it, singing this line, almost conking Moni upside the head with her hand as she swung her fist.

_Summer stinks and winter's waiting!_

While the girls were copying the moves from the movie, pretending the edge of the bunkbeds were barrels, Jack and Blink were standing in the hallway outside, watching them.  

_Welcome to New York!_

"Eronn did this yesterday" Blink whispered.

_Boy ain't nature fascinating,_

            "But now they're all just acting strange."

_When youse gotta walk?_

Jack shook his head.  "It wasn't my idea to let them stay here."

_Still it's a fine life, carrying the banner with me chums._

_A mighty fine life carrying the banner with me chums…_

            On these two lines the girls put their arms across each other's shoulders and swayed as if they were at a concert.

_A mighty fine life, blowing every nickel as it comes._

Blink and Jack looked at each other uneasily, then back at the girls.

_A might fine life, blowing every nickel._

_I'm no snoozer, sittin' makes me antsy,_

Eronn got up and did the little dance she'd practiced over and over in front of the full-length mirror in her room.  She did a little jig, then….

_I likes living chancy, Harlem to Delancey_

            …kicked her right foot over her left and pivoted around. 

_What a fine life, carrying the banner through the slums._

Liz gave her a little applause as she rejoined the group.

_Blessed children._

Jack and Blink looked at each other again.

_Though you wander lost and depraved_

            Racetrack came up behind them to see what they were doing.

_Jesus loves you, you shall be saved._

When he heard the girl's singing, he asked Blink, "Are they tryin' to convert us or something?"

_Patrick_

_Just give me half a cup_

Moni and Eronn took the lines of Patrick's mother, Liz and Natalie took the newsies lines.

_Darling_

_Something to wake me up_

"What the hell?" Mush asked, coming up behind the boys.

_Since you left me_

_I gotta find an angle_

_I am undone_

_I gotta sell more papes_

Liz and Natalie tried to look as pathetic as possible, while Moni and Eronn tried to look heartbreaking.  None of them were really succeeding because they were having a bit too much fun at the moment.

_Mother_

_Papers is all I got_

_Wish I could catch a breeze_

At this point Natalie took the first set of newsies lines, Liz took the second.  Moni and Eronn continued crooning away.

_Loves you_

_Sure hope the headline's hot_

All I can catch is fleas 

_God save- _

God help me if it's not 

_-my son!_

_Somebody help me please_

Moni and Eronn finished off with a big wail on "son", making it more like "sooooooooooooooon!"

_If I hate the headline, _

_I'll make up a headline_

"Hey!  They're singing about us!" Mush exclaimed.

_And I'll say anything I hafta._

Jack, Blink and Race turned around and gave Mush a disbelieving look.

_'Cause it's two for a penny,_

            "You just realized that now?" Race asked, trying not to laugh.

_If I take too many Weasel just makes me eat em' after._

Moni and Eronn finally stopped the "son" and rejoined the rest of the group.

Look they're putting up the headline! 

            Eronn and Natalie sang this part.

_What's it say? That won't play._

Moni and Liz chimed in on this part.

_You call that a headline?_

"What headline?" Mush asked at the door.

_I get better stories from the copper on the beat_

The other boys just glared at him.

_So where's your spot?  God it's hot._

Eronn and Natalie pretended to faint from heat exhaustion in a very melodramatic way.

_I was gonna start with twenty _

Not to be outdone, Moni and Liz decided to try and faint themselves, despite the total irrelevance to the line they were singing.

_Now a dozen will be plenty_

_Will you tell me_

How I'm gonna make ends meet? 

_We need a good assassination._

Here the girls did the usual pelvic thrust with enthusiasm.

_We need an earthquake or a war._

Natalie imitated Jack's drunk-like walk from the movie in this part, while Moni also followed the movie by dragging Eronn to the side of the room (they always wondered _why_ in heaven's name that kid was getting dragged off the screen for!).

_How 'bout a crooked politician?_

Natalie belted this line out, standing with her hands on her hips, acting all proud of herself.

_Hey stupid that ain't news no more!_

The girls yelled at Natalie, throwing pillows at her.

_Uptown to Grand Central Station,_

Natalie picked up her own pillow and hit Liz across the head with it, signing all the while.

_Down to City Hall,_

Eronn and Moni rushed for their pillows while Liz got pummeled.

_We improves the circulation_

Temporarily distracted by Eronn and Moni, Liz was able to grab her pillow, taking a swing at anybody who was near her.

_Walkin' till we fall._

"Pillow fight!" Liz yelled right after they finished this line.

_ Still we'll be out there_

Liz, Moni and Natalie all sang this part together.

_Look!  They're putting up the headline!_

Eronn sang this part because she was the only one who had watched the movie enough times to actually figure out what the heck the newsies were saying in this part.

_Carrying the banner man to man_

"Man?" Mush asked briefly from the door.

_They call that a headline?_

"Just shut up now Mush" Blink told him.

_The idiot who wrote it must be workin' for the Sun_

"Probably Denton" Natalie whispered when she heard that line.

_We'll be out there_

_Did ya hear about the fire?_

_Soakin' every sucker that we can_

_Hear it killed Old Man McGuire_

_Heard the toll was even higher_

_Why do I miss all the fun?_

Eronn took a deep breath and sang these three lines.

_See the headlines_

Liz waved her arms over her head just like the boys in the movie did at this point (they had always wondered why that boy waved his arms, too, for that matter).

_Hitched it on a trolley_

_Newsies on a mission_

_Meet ya Fourty-fourth and Second_

_Kill the competition_

_Little Italy's a secret_

_Sell the next edition_

_Bleeker's further than I reckoned_

_While we're out there_

"Out where?" Mush asked, then grinned.

_By the courthouse, near the stables_

            "I couldn't resist" he told them, nearly laughing.

_Carrying the banner is the…_

_On the corner someone beckoned and I…_

They broke off abruptly, but Eronn continued on, half humming, half singing the instrumental part that came next.  The other girls stopped, however, and noticed the now rather large group that was standing outside their door, watching.  They glanced at each other, then a little sheepishly at the boys.  

            Eronn was still singing, not noticing the total silence in the room.  Liz finally stopped her, although by the time she got around to it, Eronn was already singing "Go get em cowboy!  You've got em now boy!"

            Eronn abruptly stopped dancing and glanced around the room.  "Oh, uh…" she said awkwardly.  She shrugged a little and smiled.  "Whatcha guys doing?"

            "Watching _you_" Jack replied.  "And can I ask you the same question?"

            "Sure" Eronn said.  She paused, thinking.  "Um, what was the question again?" she asked a little bit later.

            Natalie laughed.  "He wants to know why we were singing and dancing."

            "Oh!" Eronn said.  She looked around.  "Well why doesn't one of you answer it?" she asked defensively.

            Liz sighed.  "We were just joking around" she explained.  

            "Yeah, we're not your average 1899 kind of girls," Moni told them.

            Natalie walked over to Crutchy.  "Are you ready to go sell papes?" she asked him.

            "Sure!  Let's go."

            They walked out of the hallway and down the steps, and Eronn, Liz and Moni followed.  The boys just stared at their retreating backs for a little bit, then followed them out the door.

*******************************

            By the time the boys were halfway down the street, they had stopped thinking about the girl's performances that morning.  They had short attention spans sometimes.

            Moni walked down the street by herself, singing a little tune.  Eronn and Liz walked together, watching the boys act half their age.  They were really just acting wild in the streets – jumping around barrels, pretending to fight each other, sometimes actually fighting each other, fighting with the large useless sticks they carried around.

            "Boys" Liz said, shaking her head.

            "You've got to admit that they're cute though," Eronn told her.

            "Well yeah, but they're so immature" Liz retorted.  "I'm definitely not getting involved with a guy until I'm a little older and the guy's a little more mature."

            "Hmm" Eronn said, grimacing to herself.  "Well, good luck.  Although I'm not really sure if they ever do mature all that much."

            They reached the Distribution Office and stood outside the closed gates with the newsies at the front.  They boys were still joking around and acting like five year olds, when suddenly Morris and Oscar Delancey broke through the crowd of newsies.

            Suddenly, Racetrack pretended to be sniffing the air as he said "Dear me, what is that unpleasant aroma?"  Liz and Eronn glanced at each other, recognizing what Race was saying.  "I fear the sewers may have backed up during the night," Race continued, as Eronn mouthed along with him.

            "Nah, too rotten to be the sewers" Liz said quietly, anticipating Boot's remark.

            Sure enough, "Nah, too rotten to be the sewers" were the next words out of Boot's mouth.  

            Eronn and Liz glanced over at Natalie who was standing next to Crutchy.  She looked a little perplexed at something, but hadn't quite caught on that they were at the start of the movie.

            "It must be – the Delancey brothers!" Crutchy said, and suddenly Natalie's mouth opened.  

            She looked at Eronn and Liz.  "The movie!" she mouthed.  They nodded back as they newsies continued taunting the Delancey brothers.  Natalie moved over to where they were.  "Has Moni figured it out?" she whispered.

            Liz shook her head.  "She's across the street sitting on the curb.  She's not close enough to hear."

            Suddenly they heard Jack telling Oscar not to call people lousy little shrimps, then grab his hat and run with it.  He flew past a started Moni, who jumped up and rejoined the group.  They watched the fight unfold exactly like that in the movie.  

            They got pushed to the back of the group watching the fight, but when Jack bolted again, the girls moved back so they could watch.  At that exact moment, Jack ran into a boy the girls recognized as David Jacobs, but the newsies didn't know yet.

            Moni was standing really close to him, and he accidentally tripped over her foot.  "Are you OK?" Liz exclaimed, giving him her hand to help him up.  The other girls moved away as the fight ended so they could sing "Go get em cowboy!  You've got em now boy!"  They got some more strange looks, but it was worth it, they thought.

            Meanwhile, back further, David was dusting off his clothes, while Liz picked up his hat and brushed it off while Les stood waiting next to his big brother.  "Are you alright?" Liz repeated.

            David nodded.  "Thanks so much" he said a little shyly.  

            "No problem" Liz said in a matter of fact voice.  

She began to walk away, when David told her "Wait!"

She turned around.  "Yes?"

"What's your name?"

"Liz" she told him, turning around again and starting to walk away.

David ran up to her.  "So do you work around here?"

"I'm a newsie," she told him.

 "Hey, I'm going to become a newsie too.  Me and my little brother Les here.  So maybe we'll be seeing each other."  David smiled hopefully.

Liz shrugged.  "Sure, whatever.  I've got to go now."

She turned around to see her friends watching her.  "Someone's got a crush on you Liz" Eronn said in a sing-songy voice.

Liz rolled her eyes.  "He does not."

"Why's he still looking at you then?" Moni asked sensibly.

Liz turned around to look at him, and he turned really fast.  "Someone likes Liz, someone likes Liz!" Eronn continued.

"Oh, be quiet.  Let's just go get our papes" she said, seeing David walk away.  

TBC…


	5. And the Movie Begins!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the newsies.  
  
AN: Sorry this took me so long – I've been really busy and to write this part I had to sit in front of the DVD to make sure I got the lines and stuff right, and it took me forever to write it out by hand. Then I had to transfer it from my notebook to my computer. So it took me awhile! The next chapter shouldn't take me so long! Don't forget to review!  
  
HAVE TIME MACHINE: WILL SELL PAPES  
  
CHAPTER 5  
  
Liz led the way up the ramp, Moni, Natalie and Eronn following closely behind her, still giggling over the idea of David having a crush on Liz.  
  
They butted in front of the boys they liked to call the "featured" newsies (i.e. they ones in the movie that dance really well but have hardly any lines) and got right behind the main newsies.  
  
Natalie quickly abandoned her friends for Crutchy (O.K., she didn't exactly abandon them because Crutchy was only standing about two feet away) while the others waited patiently in line. They were close enough to the front to see David glance back occasionally at Liz.  
  
Race noticed the girls standing not too far behind him. "Hey boys, what is this? Ladies first!"  
  
"Oh yeah" they all agreed, motioning for the girls to get in front of them. They moved up (David nodded at Liz as she passed him) and were now standing behind Jack.  
  
"Mr. Weasel" Jack said, knocking on the wood behind the bars in the window. He glanced back at the girls, hoping to impress them with his smart-aleck attitude. He grinned and rang the bell, and the girls could hear Weasel grumbling inside the Distribution Office.  
  
"All right, all right. Hold your horses, I'm comin'" Weasel told them as he lifted the window cover.  
  
"So did ya miss me Weasel? Did ya miss me?"  
  
Standing a little back with the rest of the newsies, the girls rolled their eyes. It was obvious this performance was for their benefit.  
  
Eronn stepped up – she had a feeling that it would be helpful to be on Weasel's good side.  
  
She heaved a big sigh and said "Jack, I'm sure he's told you a million times – the name is Weisel."  
  
"Mr. Weisel to you" Weasel added, nodding at Eronn's remark.  
  
Jack sent an annoyed look at Eronn. "How many?" Weasel asked.  
  
"Don't rush me" Jack said peevishly. "I'm perusin' the merchandise Mr. Weasel" he said with extra emphasis.  
  
The newsies snickered behind him. "What's so funny?" Moni asked, oblivious to what had occurred in front of her.  
  
"Don't worry about it" Mush told her when no one else bothered to explain.  
  
Jack plunked down his money and said "The usual."  
  
"One hundred papes to the wise guy" Weasel told the Delancey brothers.  
  
Jack grabbed his papes and moved on. Liz, Eronn and Moni came forward and bought one hundred papes to sell together. "Thanks" Liz told the Delancey brothers as they handed her the papes.  
  
"Don't mention it" one of them told her, smiling flirtatiously.  
  
Eronn rolled her eyes while Liz recoiled slightly. Moni, on the other hand, smiled and said "Now, which one of you is Morris and which one is Oscar?" She continued on, not giving them a chance to reply. "Normally, I'd think that Oscar would be the ugly one, but you're both so hideous, I have no idea which is which."  
  
Moni smiled at them as the Delancey brother's mouth's hung open in shock. The newsies snickered at them as Moni moved away before the Delancey brothers came out of their frozen state.  
  
Race quickly moved up and said "Morning your honor." He then lit his cigar as he asked him "Listen, do me a favor, will ya spot me fifty papes? I got a hot tip on the fourth, you won't waste your money."  
  
On the side, Liz shushed her friends as Weasel replied. "This is one of my favorite lines!" she told them.  
  
"It's a sure thing?" Weasel asked.  
  
"Oh yeah" Race replied. "Not like last time."  
  
Liz and Eronn burst into peals of laughter while Natalie commented "That was rather humorous."  
  
Weasel shrugged and said "Fifty papes. Next!"  
  
Race walked over to join Liz, Eronn, Moni and Jack where they were sitting while Crutchy and Natalie walked up to the window.  
  
"Heya Mr. Weisel" they chirped together. "How about forty papes?" Crutchy asked, consulting Natalie.  
  
Liz looked up at the little boy (who she recognized to be Les Jacobs) who was peering at Jack.  
  
"Anything good this morning?" Race asked the girls, who were also thumbing through papes.  
  
"You wanna sit down?" Liz asked Les in a matter-of-face voice.  
  
Jack looked up and noticed Les. "Yeah?" he agreed.  
  
"Next!" Weasel called as Crutchy and Natalie moved to join their friends.  
  
Eronn glanced up, anticipating what was going to happen.  
  
"Twenty papes please" David Jacobs asked politely.  
  
"I've always wondered how he knew to say 'papes' on his first day of selling" Eronn whispered to Liz.  
  
Liz glanced up at David. "I don't want to talk about that person," she said while Eronn suppressed a smile.  
  
Weasel reported the order and David said "Thanks" to one of the Delancey brothers.  
  
"Look at this" Race commented to Jack and the girls. "Baby born with two heads. Must be from Brooklyn," he said matter-of-factly.  
  
Eronn and Natalie giggled.  
  
Up at the window, David was counting his papes while Weasel was trying to get him to leave.  
  
Sitting down, the newsies and the girls heard him say "I paid for twenty and I only got nineteen."  
  
"Are you accusing me of lying, kid?" Weasel asked fiercely as Les got up apprehensively.  
  
"There he blows!" Moni whispered loudly, producing snickers among everyone except Jack, who make a point not to laugh at Moni's jokes.  
  
Jack got up, too, as David told Weasel "No, I just want my paper."  
  
"He said beat it" one of the Delancey brothers told him menacingly.  
  
Jack quickly counted the papes. "No, it's nineteen Weasel. But don't worry about it" he said mockingly. "It's an honest mistake. Morris, he can't count to twenty with his shoes on."  
  
"Oh, that one's Morris!" Moni exclaimed, pointed to the Delancey brother with the mustache who had just grabbed the window bars in anger.  
  
"Mystery solved, Sherlock" Natalie told her.  
  
"Why thank you my dear Watson" Moni replied.  
  
"All right, get outta here!" Weasel exclaimed as Morris threw another pape at David.  
  
"Hold it. Race, will ya spot me two bits?" Jack asked.  
  
Race nodded and tossed Jack the money.  
  
"I love that!" Liz whispered to Eronn. "He borrowed money for his papes from Weasel, when he had money all along!"  
  
"We'll have to try that someday," Eronn agreed.  
  
"Hey, another fifty for my friend here" Jack told Weasel.  
  
The girls stood up to watch the show better.  
  
"Oh, I don't want another fifty" David tried to tell Weasel.  
  
"Sure you do" Eronn said, taking the words out of Jack's mouth.  
  
"Every newsie wants more papes," Liz agreed.  
  
David visibly faltered at Liz's words, but still managed to say "I don't."  
  
But Jack handed them to him anyway, walking down the stairs with his own papes on his shoulder.  
  
"I don't want your papes" David repeated. Moni started mimicking him silently as he said "I don't take charity from anybody. I don't even know you, I don't care to. So here are your papes" he said, handing Jack a pile that certainly did not equal fifty, as Natalie quickly pointed out to him.  
  
He rolled his eyes and was about to recount the papes when Les broke in. "Cowboy" he said with obvious admiration. "They call him cowboy."  
  
Jack scoffed and said "Yeah – that and a lot of other things including Jack Kelly, which is what me mother called me."  
  
Eronn, Liz, Moni, Natalie and Crutchy were watching these events. Liz glanced over at Crutchy, who was smiling even though there was nothing to smile at.  
  
"What's he smiling about?" she asked Moni, motioning to Crutchy.  
  
Moni just shrugged.  
  
"What do they call you, kid?" Jack asked.  
  
"Les" he replied. "And this is my brother David. He's older."  
  
"No shit Sherlock" Eronn muttered under her breath to Nancy, as Jack answered more moderately "Oh, no kidding" as he handed off his papes to the nearest person, who happened to be Moni.  
  
"What is this?" she muttered, going on under her breath about how mistreated women were in 1899.  
  
Jack ignored her, however, and continued. "So how old are you, Les?"  
  
"Near ten" he told him.  
  
"Near ten" Jack repeated. "That's no good. If anyone asks, say you're seven. See, younger sells more papes Les. If we're gonna be partners, we've got to be the best-"  
  
"Wait, wait!" David exclaimed, cutting Jack off. "Who said anything about partners?"  
  
"Jack just did" Natalie pointed out sensibly.  
  
"Well, you owe me two bits, right?" Jack continued.  
  
"So?" David asked, confused.  
  
"Not the brightest of kids, is he?" Moni whispered, resulting in a smack from Eronn on the arm.  
  
Jack looked momentarily stumped at David's failure to catch on. He recovered, however, saying "So I'll consider that an investment. We sell together we split… 70/30, plus you get the benefit of observing me, no charge."  
  
"Ah-ha!" David exclaimed.  
  
"Ah-ha!" Eronn, Liz, Moni and Natalie exclaimed along with Jack.  
  
"Hey, you're getting the chance of a lifetime here Davey" Crutchy broke in. Natalie nodded, agreeing fervently with whatever Crutchy had to say.  
  
"You learn from Jack, you learn from the best!" Natalie finished for him.  
  
"Good grief, they're turning into voice and echo!" Moni exclaimed.  
  
"The best!" all the newsies agreed, as a newsie in a bowler cap passed through and winked broadly at Jack.  
  
"What was that about?" Eronn wondered aloud.  
  
"Well if he's the best then how come he needs me?" David countered.  
  
"Ooh" the girls said in mock awe. (Can you tell they used to do this stuff when they'd watch the movie? Only it was much more fun in the movie!")  
  
"Listen, I don't need you pal" jack said, pointing his finger at David.  
  
"I will always wave my finger in your face!" Eronn whispered.  
  
"Eronn, no one will get your Survivor references here" Natalie told her.  
  
"You got it!"  
  
"Only because you've said it so much" Liz broke in.  
  
Jack ignored the girl's whispers. "But I ain't got a cute little brother to front for me" he told David.  
  
"Y'know with this kid's puss and my God-given talent, we could move a thousand papes a week" Jack boasted.  
  
"Like hell you could!" Moni muttered, but the newsies ignored her and nodded.  
  
"So what do ya say, Les? You wanna sell papes for me?"  
  
"Yeah!" Les said enthusiastically.  
  
"So it's a deal?" Jack asked, putting out his hand to shake.  
  
"Wait, hold it!" David broke in. "It's gotta be at least 50/50."  
  
Jack thought about it ("That looks like hard work" Moni commented) and told him "60/40 or I forget the whole thing."  
  
"That's fair" Blink told him.  
  
"A golden opportunity" agreed one of the "featured" newsies.  
  
All the newsies nodded and agreed. David looked at Les, and then at Liz, both of whom were nodding.  
  
"What do ya say?" Jack pressed.  
  
"It's very fair" another newsie in the background agreed.  
  
"Overkill!" Natalie exclaimed, masking it with a cough.  
  
Persuaded, David stuck out his hand.  
  
Jack spit in his hand and reached to shake David's hand, only David pulled it away.  
  
"What's the matter?" Jack asked.  
  
"That's disgusting" David told him, with a look of sheer disgust on his face to match his words.  
  
The girls joined the newsies in laughing, while secretly agreeing that it was a yucky practice.  
  
Jack grabbed his papes from Moni and started walking out the gate, the newsies following his lead.  
  
The girls began following him out, too. "Wait!" Eronn exclaimed to her friends. "Race is still back there. I've always wondered why he doesn't leave with the rest of the newsies."  
  
"C'mon, we have to go" Liz told her. "Natalie already walked off with Crutchy. And the others."  
  
"No" Eronn said, breaking away. "I'm going to find out why he doesn't leave."  
  
She walked up to Race and asked him why he hadn't left yet. "'Cause the guy I hitch a ride to Sheepshead with doesn't come for another fifteen minutes" he told her matter of factly.  
  
"Oh" Eronn said, then she whirled around and went back to Moni and Liz, just in time to hear Jack say "Headlines don't sell papes, newsies sell papes."  
  
All the newsies behind him agreed. "We hold this town together" Jack continued. "Without newsies, nobody knows nothin'."  
  
"That's right" the newsies chimed in.  
  
"Hey fellas, look at that angel" one of the newsies piped up, as they all began drooling over the brunette that passed in front of them.  
  
The girls rolled their eyes and tried to get their exclamations of "Grow up" and "Cut it out" heard over the newsies' exclamations of "Whoa" and "What a heaven." Since they were severely outnumbered by boys, however, no one heard them.  
  
Specs started yelling "Baby born with three heads!" and the other newsies quickly began hawking the headlines as the boys scattered outside the gate.  
  
"Where should we go?" Liz asked.  
  
"We should probably follow someone so we can find our way to Tibby's and the Lodging House later" Eronn sensibly pointed out.  
  
"Good idea" Moni agreed. "Let's tag Jack!"  
  
"We can't mess with the movie's events that much!" Liz told her.  
  
"Bummer."  
  
"Let's just stay close to Natalie and Crutchy" Eronn suggested.  
  
"OK, but we'd better go now" Liz said. "They're already halfway down the street."  
  
They ran to catch up, anxious to begin the second day of selling.  
  
TBC…  
  
PLEASE REVIEW! I WILL APPRECIATE IT SO MUCH IF YOU DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	6. What is that leafy plant thing?

DISCLAIMER:  I don't own the newsies.  They belong to Disney.  I don't own my friends either, but I do own myself, so don't steal me!

AN: Thanks to my friend Liz for writing part of this chapter with me.  As usual, please review!

HAVE TIME MACHINE: WILL SELL PAPES

CHAPTER 6

            The girls spent the entire morning tagging along with Crutchy.  Natalie and Crutchy peddled their 40 papes together, while Moni, Liz and Eronn pitched in to sell their 100 papes.

            They stood on opposite corners, Natalie and Crutchy selling the traditional way, while the other girls took a less conventional standpoint.

            First, they sold Liz's silent way.  She would approach a person and try to sign to them.  When they gave her a confused look, she would gesture to her ears and shake her head "no".  Eventually, they would be convinced that she was deaf and that she really needed money.  Almost everyone she approached bought a pape, and Liz hugged each one in feigned gratitude.

            Then, making sure that all the people who had bought papes from Liz were out of sight, they sold Moni's way.  She got up on a bench, holding her papes, then cleared her throat to get the attention of the people walking nearby.  Then she began reciting in a loud, clear voice:

            "Double, double, toil and trouble;

            Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

            Cool it with a baboon's blood,

            Then the charm is firm and good.

            O, well done!  I commend your pains;

            And everyone shall share in the gains;

            And all who stand and gape,

            Come now and buy a pape!"

            When they handed her their money, she told them "By the pricking on my thumbs, something newsworthy this way comes."  Moni bowed when she received a standing ovation, then began to recite again:

            "Out, damned spot!  Out I say!  One: two: why, then 'tis time to do it.  Hell is murky.  Fie, my lord, fie!  A soldier, and afeard?  What need we fear who knows it, for those who read the papers?"

Then they finished off the papers by selling Eronn's way.  She would approach a person, usually a middle-aged man who looked like he was not around children often, and would launch into a mile-a-minute one-sided conversation, beginning by introducing herself.  "Hi there!  My name is Eronn.  See those girl's over there?  They're my friends.  Their names are Liz and Moni.  We're selling newspapers.  It's our second day of selling.  Would you like to buy one?  No?  It's only a penny.  Oh, pleeeeeaaaassssse buy one?  Pretty please?"  Becoming more and more agitated with each word, Eronn continued, "Pretty please with a cherry on top?  You know you want one."  Stopping abruptly, Eronn then began again, this time at the top of her lungs.  "WHY WON'T YOU BUY A PAPE?  YOU'RE A MEANIE!  YOU'RE A BIG POOPIE-HEAD!  I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!  BOOOOO-HOOOOO!" 

Finally, the unfortunate person would give in, buying a pape to shut her up.  Once she received their money, Eronn immediately quieted down, thanked the person and walked off.

By noon, the three girls had managed to sell all their papes, while Crutchy and Natalie still had about half of their papes to go.  Liz, Eronn and Moni spotted Irving Hall about a block away, and informed Natalie and Crutchy that they were going to hang-out in front of the theatre for awhile.

"After all," Eronn pointed out, jabbing Liz with her elbow, "David should be arriving soon."

They stood in front of the theatre, near the boys shining shoes.  Eronn managed to position everyone so that Liz was closest to the street, while Eronn and Moni held back near a large, leafy plant.

Soon enough, David, Jack and Les came running down the street.  David ran straight into Liz, sending her crashing into Eronn, who crashed into Moni, who landed in the potted plant.

"Sorry," David said quickly, not realizing whom he had run into.  "I'm not running any further," he told Jack.

Jack just pushed David aside and reached down to help Liz up.  Eronn moved away from the wall she had just been pushed against, and helped Moni extricate herself from the big, leafy plant, taking a few branches with her.

"One more accident like that," Moni noted, "and that plant will be bald!"

Jack, as usual, ignored Moni and asked Liz if she was all right.

"I'm fine," Liz told him, trying to ignore David's profuse apologies.

"Gee," Les said, breaking through Jack and David, "what an ugly tree!"

"Actually," Liz pointed out, turning on her 'teacher' voice, "it's not a tree.  It's a big, leafy plant that looks like it is related to a Florida palm tree.  Is Florida a state by now?" she whispered to Eronn.

"Yes," Eronn whispered back.  "Someone should have paid more attention in history class."

"C'mon you guys, follow me," Jack told them, heading through the door behind Liz.

When they reached the backstage area David, no longer concerned with Liz's welfare, remembered how mad he was at Jack.  He slammed the door behind him, and had just opened his mouth, when Liz said "You want some answers, right?"

David gave Liz an odd look, then agreed loudly.

"Shh," Jack told them, putting a finger to his lips.

Moni glanced over at Les, whose mouth was gaping open.  "Are you trying to catch flies in that trap of yours?" she asked him.

"What trap?" Les asked.

Moni closed his mouth for him.  "Your trap – it's your mouth.  Next time someone tells you something you don't like, tell them 'shut your trap'!"

"Neat!" Les said.

"Say 'cool', not 'neat'," she instructed him.  

"OK, cool!" Les said.

David spoke up again.  "Who is he, why was he chasing you and what is this refuge?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Eronn teased him.

"Refuge is this jail for kids," Jack explained in a quiet voice.  "The guy chasing me is Snyder.  He's the warden."  
            "You were in jail?" Les asked, suddenly interested in their conversation.

"Yeah."

"Why?" Les asked, full of curiosity.

"I was starving so I stole some food," Jack shrugged it off.

"Right, food," David scoffed.

"Yeah, food," Jack replied, annoyed.

"He called you Sullivan," David accused.

"Yeah, my name's Jack Kelly.  You think I'm lying?" he asked in an icy tone.

"Well you have a way of improving the truth," David said, meeting Jack's eyes squarely.

"Can we talk about something else?" Moni asked.  "Because frankly, Jack's life just bores me!"

Jack shot Moni a dirty look, but David merely pulled Les away from where he was standing near Moni and asked Jack "Why was he chasing you?"

"Cause I escaped," Jack told him.

"Oh boy, how?" Les asked, excited.

"Blink said you got a ride out in a carriage," Liz piped up.

When Jack nodded, David said sarcastically "I bet it was the mayor, right?"

"No, Teddy Roosevelt.  You ever heard of him?"

"Of course we have!" Moni said, completely ruining the moment.  "I bet he'll be president someday."

"That's nice," Jack said, obviously not caring.

Suddenly a woman came down the stairs, trying to shoo them out.  Moni groaned in frustration.  "Do you mean to tell me that we're going to have to listen to her sing again?" she asked Liz.

Liz sighed.  "Get used to it Moni.  She sings later in the movie too."

"Ugh, kill me now, will you?"

"You wouldn't kick me out without a kiss good bye, would you Medda?" Jack said with a huge smile on his face.

The girls all rolled their eyes.  "Oh,Kelly.  Where you been kid?  Oh, I miss seeing you up in the balcony."

"Hanging on your every word," was Jack's reply, although how that answered Medda's question was beyond the girls.

"So Medda," Jack continued.  "Let me introduce you here.  This is David and Les, and these three ladies are Liz, Eronn and Moni.  They all just became newsies recently."

Right as Jack was finishing up, the door opened and Natalie came rushing in.  "Hi everybody," she said a bit too loudly.  

"And this is Natalie," Jack concluded.

"Hello," Medda said politely.

"And this is the greatest star of the vaudeville stage today, Miss Medda Larkson, the Swedish Meadowlark," Jack said with a swagger in his voice.

"Welcome gentlemen and ladies," Medda said in what was obviously a fake accent, and dropping a curtsey.

The girls gave each other skeptical looks.  The best?  They highly doubted it.  Maybe if someone had poisoned all the other theatre entertainers in the city.

"Medda owns the joint," Jack told them.

"That explains why she's the main singer," Natalie whispered to Moni.

Medda didn't hear them however, but caught sight of Les.  "Oh what do we have here?" she said in a fake-sweet voice.  Oh, aren't you the cutest little thing that ever was? Yes you are," she said, holding his face as if he was a baby.

Les bore it bravely, then gave one of his pathetic coughs, looked Medda straight in the eye with a heart-breaking look on his face and said "Buy me last pape, lady?"

Medda saw right through Les' act and merely said, "Oh, you are good. Oh yes, this kid is really good. Speaking as one professional to another, I'd say you have a great future."  

"Don't look so proud of yourself Jack," Moni piped up, seeing the proud look on his face, since he had taught Les the entire routine.  "Anyone with half a brain would see through that."

"I guess all those people Les sold to have half a brain then," Jack countered.

Moni shrugged.  Les stuck out his lower lip and pouted.  "You think it seemed fake?" he asked.

"It's not you," Liz said to him in an audible whisper.  "She just likes to annoy Jack.  I'm sure she thought that you were great."  
            Moni then winked at him, and Les finally said, "Oh," comprehending. 

Eronn looked at Moni strangely.  "You do realize that you just implied that Medda has more than half a brain, right?" she whispered.

Moni shrugged again.  "It was a necessary evil."

Jack glared at the girls for about the fiftieth time, and then turned to Medda.  "So, is it alright if we stay here for a little while, Medda? Just until a little problem outside goes away."

"Sure, stay as long as you like. Toby, just give my guests whatever they want," Medda said, heading over to the stage to perform."

Les and the girls grabbed as much candy from Toby as they could, stuffing food in their mouths, as well as in their pockets for later.  Jack and David, however, moved over to watch Medda sing as the announcer said "And now gents, the moment you've all been waiting for. The sensational songbird, the Swedish Meadowlark - Miss Medda Larkson."

"Why don't they want any candy?" Natalie asked stumped.  

"Because they're going to go gape at Medda like the mindless drones that they are," Moni said, not very nicely, as Les went over to join his brother and Jack.

They heard Medda start to sing "Lovey-Dovey Baby" onstage, and all of the girls exchanged looks.  

"Why did we come in here again?" Liz asked.

"I always fast-forwarded this part of the movie," Eronn wailed.

Moni merely put her fingers in her ears and started humming a tune to herself.  

Natalie looked at the three girls.  "Crutchy's probably still outside, selling the rest of his papes.  We could go join him so that we could meet with the other newsies tonight."

"Great idea," Liz and Eronn said together.  Moni's finger-in-ears technique was working so well, she didn't hear what Natalie said.

"Go tell Jack and David that we're going," Eronn said to Liz.

Liz rolled her eyes.  She knew she was the one going because the other girls thought that David liked her.  "Fine," she sighed.  She walked over to where they were.  "We're going," she told the two older boys.  "We'll catch you guys later."

"Oh, you're going?" David said, disappointed, tearing his eyes away from Medda for a second.  

"OK, bye," Jack merely said, not even looking at Liz.

"But maybe we could-" David started to say, but Liz cut him off.

"We have to go.  See you tomorrow."

"Alright – bye!" David called to her retreating back.

"Let's go you guys," Liz said to her friends.  "Before David follows me."

The girls headed out the door, pulling Moni behind them.  Once outside, Moni unplugged her ears.

"There's Crutchy!" Natalie said, excited.  "C'mon you guys," she said, rushing down the block.

"Why aren't you selling too?" Liz asked.  "I thought you two were selling together."

"Well, we weren't getting very far, so we split up the rest of our papes and sold separately.  I finished long before him."  
            "How'd you do that?" Eronn asked suspiciously.  

Natalie chucked a little.  "Oh, just burst into tears over the fate of leaves in autumn."

The other girls looked at each other.

"Don't ask," Natalie said.

They shrugged and continued walking.  Eronn giggled, breaking the silence.  "What is it?" Natalie asked.

"Oh, just thinking of 'Santa Fe'.  Aren't you glad we left when we did?  We might've gotten stuck listening to Jack sing it if we'd stuck around him long enough."

"Let me guess," Liz said.  "That's another part you fast forward through?"

Eronn nodded.  "I'm what you call a selective watcher."

They reached Crutchy at that point and stopped talking.  Moni looked at his arms, and noticed that he still had at least ten papers left.  "Oh, give me some of those," she said, taking some and selling them quickly the people nearby.

"Yeah, me too," the rest of the girls chorused.  They grabbed the rest of his papes and quickly finished them off.  Within fifteen minutes, the four girls returned to Crutchy and handed him the money they had just made.

Crutchy looked at them, dazed.  Natalie looked at him with an innocent expression on her face and asked, "So where do you all go for dinner?  I'm starved."

TBC…


	7. What is Borschf, exactly?

HAVE TIME MACHINE: WILL SELL PAPES

CHAPTER 7

            A few minutes later, the girls found themselves once again outside Tibby's, only this time with Crutchy in tow.  Natalie wrinkled her nose a little bit.  "Crutchy, do you guys _ever eat anywhere else?"_

            Crutchy gave her a puzzled look.  "Why do you ask?  Don't you like their food?"

            "Well, I'm sure their salad and maybe their roast beef is alright," Natalie said, thinking of the menu they saw on the wall the last time they were there.  "It's just that…"

            "Just that what?" Crutchy prompted.

            "Who wants to eat stuff like Borschf?" Moni answered for her.  

            "Yeah, I don't even know what Borschf is!" Eronn said.

            "And how about Knockwurst?" Liz put in.  "I think I know what that is, but I would certainly never eat it!"

            "Not to mention the buttered beats!" Eronn told him.

            Crutchy wrinkled his brow.  "So you girls are saying that you don't like most of the food on the menu?" he asked uncertainly.

            Natalie nodded a little sheepishly.  "But it's OK," she hastened to add.  "We would never ask you to eat somewhere else."

            "Yeah," Moni muttered sarcastically.  "We'll just eat the same thing every day for the next few days.  Just think how fun that will be!"

            Crutchy looked even more confused at Moni's remark, so Liz hurriedly suggested that they get inside before all the seats are taken.

            When they walked though, there was certainly no danger of all the seats being taken.  In one of the nearby booths sat Boots and Specs, no other newsies in sight.  The girls and Crutchy walked over to them, asked "Can we sit here?" and then sat before the boys could give them an answer (not that they would have said no).

            After Crutchy ordered pork and beans and the girls ordered either the roast beef or the salad, Natalie asked Boots "So how was your day?" 

            "It was fine," Boots told them.  "How about you?"

            "It was great!" Natalie told him enthusiastically.  She then went on to tell Boots all about her day – taking about fifteen minutes in the process.                            

            By the time she was five minutes into her spiel, the other girls started talking, knowing how Natalie could get when she was started on a subject.  "So Specs, how was your day?" Liz asked him.

            "Well, it was sort of a bummer because my hair got messed up today.  Some old man ruffled my hair after he bought a pape," Specs told them dejectedly, looking at his reflection in a spoon.

            Liz and Eronn listened to Specs with disbelief on their faces.  Moni however, merely acknowledged what Specs was saying by nodding her head, and then proceeded to tell him that he needed to loosen up.  "After all," she told him knowingly, "Most people don't realize this, but hair's natural state is messy.  It longs to be messy.  Just let it be."

            Specs looked at Moni like she had just told him to go cut off his head.  Then he quickly turned towards Liz.  "How is my hair?" he asked her quietly.

            Liz fought hard to keep a serious look on her face.  "It looks just fine," she reassured him.  

            "Sure if you like your hair to look unnatural and unloved," Moni said.

            "That means it's perfect, at least if you like your hair neat," Eronn told Specs.  "By the way, do you have a girlfriend?" she asked bluntly.

            Specs turned bright red.  "Wh-why do you want to know?" he asked uncertainly.

            "I just know someone who would be perfect for you!" Eronn said.

            Specs looked at her warily.  "Who?" he asked, glancing at Moni.

            "Oh, not Moni," Eronn said, brushing him off.  "You don't know her, but she's really sweet."

            "Do I know her?" Liz asked.

            "Think," Eronn told her.  "Who else asks how her hair is all the time?"

            "Oh," Liz said knowingly.  "Your best friend, Chrissy."

            Eronn nodded, but Specs shook his head.  "Oh no," he told them.  "I saw you singing in the streets after we went to Irving Hall the other night.  I don't think I want to date any close friend of yours."

            Eronn shrugged.  "I think I'm supposed to be insulted," she told Moni and Liz.  "Oh well."  She shrugged her shoulders.  "Your loss," she told Specs.

            "Yeah, Chrissy's not at all like Eronn," Liz told him.  

            "Hey!" Eronn said.

            "Hey what?" Natalie asked, finally finishing the lecture she had been giving Boots and hearing the last remark of Eronn's.

            Eronn just shook her head.  "Don't worry about it."

            Natalie shrugged.  "I feel like singing," she told them, abruptly changing the subject.

            "Why don't we wait until we at least leave the restaurant to sing?" Liz asked her.

            Natalie wrinkled her nose.  "But I want to sing now," she told Liz plaintively.  She thought for a minute and then said, "How about we sing 'King of New York'?  That's set in Tibby's, so it's appropriate."

            "What?" Crutchy asked, while Specs and Boots also sat around looking confused.

            "Natalie!" Liz said in a whisper.  "You can't sing that!"

            "Why not?" Natalie asked.

            "Yeah, why not?" Moni asked, backing Natalie up.

            "We're not at that part of the movie yet," Liz said.  "Right Eronn?" she said, looking for Eronn's support.

            Eronn scooted down low in her seat.  "No comment," she said.  When Liz gave her a confused look, Eronn whispered, "Remember the first day we sold papes with Blink?  I sang King of New York."

            "Oh," Liz said.  "I don't remember that."

            "You were too busy telling people I was mental," Eronn explained helpfully.

            "Oh yeah!" Liz said.  "But I still don't think the two of them should sing in it in front of the newsies."

            "There's only three newsies here!" Natalie protested.

            "Let's just sing it Natalie," Moni said.

            "Great!"

            Eronn opened her mouth to ask if she could sing it too, but Liz silenced her with a reprimanding look.  Eronn slid back down her seat again.

            Natalie and Moni jumped out of the booth and started singing:

            _A pair of new shoes with matching laces,_

_            A permanent box at the Sheepshead races,_

_A porcelain tub with boilin' water,   
A Saturday night with the mayor's daughter!_

With this verse they started out really quietly, snapping their fingers á la West Side Story.  As the verse went on they got louder and louder until…

_Look at me I'm the king of __New York__   
Suddenly I'm respectable  
Starin' right at 'cha   
Lousy with stature _

…they jumped onto nearby chairs, waving their arms above their heads as they sang at the top of their lungs.

_Nobbin__' with all the muckety-mucks,  
I'm blowin' my dough and goin' deluxe.   
And there I be - ain't I pretty?   
It's my city,   
I'm the king of __New York__! _

At this point Eronn couldn't stand it any longer.  She gave Liz a small "sorry," and went off to join the singing.

_A corduroy suit with fitted knickers,  
A mezzanine seat to see the flickers,   
__Havana__ cigars that cost a quarter,   
An editor's desk for the star reporter!_

At this verse Eronn and Natalie sat in chairs and leaned back, as Moni pushed them forward from the back.  Except she "accidentally" let go of Natalie's chair and sent her sprawling backwards.  Luckily Natalie was so wrapped up in the song that she barely noticed and just got up and continued singing.

_Tip your hat   
He's the king of New York_

Eronn and Natalie took the above lines while Moni took the ones below.  Actually, Eronn started singing Moni's lines with her, but she got a pinch on her arm and decided to stick to the newsie's lines.

_ How 'bout that!   
I'm the king of __New York_

_In nothing flat   
He'll be covering __Brooklyn__ to __Trenton__   
Our man __Denton_

_Makin__' a headline out of a hunch   
Protecting the weak   
And payin' for lunch   
When I'm at bat   
Strong men crumble   
Proud yet humble   
I'm (He's) the king of New York _

At the end of this verse Moni graciously allowed Natalie and Eronn to sing the last two lines with her. 

_I gotta be either dead or dreamin'   
Cause look at that paper with my face beamin'   
Tomorrow they may wrap fishes in it   
But I was a star for one whole minute! _

At this point the girls realized that Crutchy, Specs and Boots were bobbing their heads along with the girl's singing.  So Natalie grabbed Crutchy, Moni grabbed Specs and Eronn grabbed Boots, making them get up and dance too.  On the side of the restaurant the cook and the waiter were watching, so they motioned them over too.  Pretty soon they had a whole bunch of people dancing in the middle of Tibby's.

_Startin__' now   
I'm the king of __New York__   
Ain't' ya heard?   
I'm the king of __New York__   
Holy cow   
It's a miracle   
Pulitzer's cryin'   
Weasel, he's dyin'_

While they were singing this verse and the rest of the people were dancing, Blink, Mush, Snoody and Skittery entered the restaurant and watched them, looks of confusion on their faces.  "Are they doing this _again?" Mush asked with a whine._

_Flashpots__ are shootin' bright as the sun   
I'm one highfalutin' son-of-a-gun   
Don't ask me how   
Fortune found me  
Fate just crowned me   
I'm the king of New York   
Look and see   
Once a piker   
Now a striker   
I'm the king of New York   
Victory!   
Front page story   
Guts and glory   
I'm the king of __New York__! _

They finished up the song with a big bang, and Crutchy, Boots, Specs and the restaurant workers began applauding.  "That was so much fun!" Boots was saying, while Specs was just looking shocked that he had actually gotten up and danced in a public place.

            "What the hell was that?" Blink asked them.  Specs immediately dived back to the booth where Liz was sitting by himself, his face as red as a tomato.  The waiter and the cook scurried back to their work, and Crutchy looked just a little embarrassed.  Boots, however, was still smiling joyfully.  

            "We were dancing!" he told the older boys happily.

            "Sure," they told him, turning away and sitting down near Liz and Specs.  "This is how you spend your days now?" Blink asked Specs, who turned even redder, if that was possible.

            "We forced him into it," Natalie told him as she and Moni and Eronn headed back to their seats as well. 

            "Yeah, he thinks we're idiots," Moni told them, "but we don't give a damn."  The boys all gasped.  "What?" Moni asked, for once at a loss as to what she said that was so shocking to them.

            "You said damn!" Boots said, admiration in his voice.  "We've never head a girl curse before!"

            The girls nearly laughed out loud, but their food came at that very moment.  The newsies who had just arrived ordered their food as the girls started eating.  They scarfed their food down, then jumped out of their chairs.  "We'll see you guys later!" Liz told them.

            "Where are you going?" Boots asked, while Crutchy looked hurt at the fact that Natalie was leaving.

            "We're just going to do some exploring, alright?  We'll be back before dark, I promise," Natalie told him soothingly.  And with that, the girls walked out the door.

            Once they were outside in the bright sun, they looked both ways, trying to figure out what would be the best path to take.  "So, does anybody know how to get to Brooklyn?" Eronn asked.

            The girls shook their heads, but Liz walked up to a passerby and asked for directions. These being obtained, the girls headed to the right, made about two more turns and then were in sight of the Bridge.

            "Brooklyn, here we come!" Moni said with relish.

TBC…

AN:  Ooh, what will happen in Brooklyn?  Wouldn't you like to know?  OK, actually, I have no idea what's going to happen right now.  So any suggestions would be appreciated.  And thanks to all my reviewers!


	8. Terrorizing Brooklyn

AN: Hey everyone, sorry this took me so long, I hope you never have to wait that long again, but…don't hold your breath.  I'm not the kind of person who can just write a chapter a day, at least not if I want it to be good and have a decent plot.  Oh, and reviews always spur me along (hint, hint), so leave me one!

DISCLAIMER:  I don't own the Newsies or any of the characters, much as I wish I did.  They all belong to Disney.

HAVE TIME MACHINE: WILL SELL PAPES

CHAPTER 8

            As soon as the girls found their way to the Brooklyn Bridge and crossed to the other side, they found themselves surrounded by dirty, grungy-looking newsies.  The newsies were also all about a foot taller than each of the girls, save Moni.  

            "Whoa!" Natalie said, as the girls looked at the boy's raised fists.  "What's this all about?"

            One of the boys stepped forward.  "Who are you, and what business do you have in Brooklyn?"

            Moni raised an eyebrow at him.  "Kindly remove your fists from our immediate vicinity," she said in a haughty tone.

            "Huh?" one of the other boys asked.  "We weren't even touching you!"

            "Who are you and what is your business in Brooklyn?" the newsie asked again.

            "We heard you the first time!" Eronn complained.

            "And we really don't have any business here," Liz told him.  "We're just exploring."

            "Yeah, Manhattan got boring fast," Natalie told him.  "There's really not that much to do there at all, except for wander around the streets and play poker with the boys.  And they're not very good, so you have to force yourself to lose so they won't feel bad and…"

            The boy sighed in frustration.  "For the last time, _who are you?"  _

            "Well who are you?" Liz asked.

            The boy groaned.  "My name's Snoops."

            "Nice to meet you Snoops."

            "It's a pleasure."

            "Never met anybody with that name before."

            "Howdy."

            Snoops looked at them with a blank look on his face, wondering if they were for real, or if they were just trying to get under his skin.  He finally gave up trying to decide and repeated "Your names?"

            "Oh, those!" Natalie said with a start, and then introduced herself and the other girls.  

            "Finally," Snoops muttered under his breath.  "I'm gonna have to take you four to see Spot."

            "Oh goody!" Eronn said with a little squeal.  

            Another newsie rolled his eyes.  "Snoops, this is ridiculous!  They're obviously no threat, so let's not bother Spot with 'em."

            "Oh, but we are a threat!" Eronn said with wide, innocent eyes.  "Aren't we girls?"

            They nodded gravely.  "We are highly threatening," Liz told Snoops.

            "Really?" he asked with one eyebrow raised.  

            "Oh really," Natalie told him.

            "Then why don't you prove it?" he said with a smirk on his face.

            "Why don't you just take us to Spot you silly little imbecile!" Moni said very rationally, taking everybody by surprise.  As she spoke, she grabbed his shirt by the collar and pulled on it hard.  Snoops looked shocked.  "What else do I have to do to convince you?" Moni asked, a slightly threatening tone in her voice.

            "Um, now they're being threatening," one of the newsies watching pointed out.  "You were right, let's just take them to Spot and let him deal with them."

            "Now you're talking!" Liz said with a wide smile.  

            "Lead on," Moni said to Snoops and she let go of his shirt with a little shove.  "We're waiting."

            Snoops sighed and then nodded.  "C'mon," he said, as he led the way down the street.  "It's this way."

             They walked along behind Snoops, Eronn practically skipping with joy.  

They reached the docks in almost no time.  The girls probably should have felt self-conscious because all the newsie's eyes were on them, but they shrugged it off and continued walking.  "What have we here?" they heard a familiar voice ask, but the voice had a tone of surprise, rather than the haughty one they were used to.  

"Hey Spot," Eronn said with a grin.  "Nice to see you too," she said, looking up at the newsie sitting on top of the pier.  Spot jumped down and walked over.

"Of course it's nice to see you girls," Spot backtracked.  "I'm just surprised to see you here.  Don't the Manhattan newsies generally spend their whole day either selling papes or hanging out at Tibby's?"

"Oh, that," Natalie said dismissively.  "We got bored."

"So you came here?" Spot asked skeptically.

"We were _really bored," Natalie admitted with a shrug._

"You don't really mind that we came, do you?" Eronn asked him hopefully.

Spot grinned.  "Nah, of course not.  Like I said, I was just surprised."

"Good," Eronn said, grinning back.

"Will you two stop all this mushy stuff?" Liz asked abruptly, after Spot and Eronn had gazed at each other for awhile.  

Spot and Eronn broke off their gaze, both blushing a little.  "So what is there for us to do?" Natalie asked Spot.

Spot looked around, and all the newsies who had been watching them closely automatically looked away, pretending to be engrossed in something else.  A few of them jumped in the water, and the boys that were in the water began swimming around.  "We could go swimming," he suggested.  "There's not much else to do, except play poker."

"But we don't have any bathing suits," Liz pointed out.

"Yeah," Eronn agreed.

"You don't need one," Spot told them.

"Oh no!" Natalie said.  "I am _not skinny-dipping.  No way, no how."  She shook her head vehemently._

"Huh?" Spot asked.  "I'm not quite sure what that is, but I know that we just wear our clothes in the water."

"Oh," Liz said, taken aback.  "Well than that's fine!"

Moni shrugged.  "Sound like fun to me I guess."

Only Eronn shook her head.  "No way!" she said emphatically.  "I am not going swimming right now!"

Spot gave her a puzzled look.  "Why not?"

"I just don't want to."

"Oh, come on Eronn," Natalie pleaded.  "It's really hot."

"Well I'm going in now," Liz said, taking a jump off the pier.

"But think of how dirty that water is," Eronn said, a little late for it to be of any use to Liz.

Liz surfaced just in time to hear here.  "Oh well," she said.  "It sure cools you down."

Eronn sighed as Natalie and Moni joined Liz in the water.  She looked over at Spot with a scowl on her face.  "You don't have to stay out because I'm staying out.  You can go in."

Spot smiled at her – an actual smile, not his usual grin – "Oh, I wouldn't dream of going in without you," he told her, his smile quickly turning back to a mischevious grin.  "That's why you're coming with me," he said, grabbing her arm and yanking Eronn into the water.

Eronn screamed as she hit the water, went under momentarily and then resurfaced a second later.  Coughing and sputtering, she began flailing in the water, and then slowly began to slip under the surface again.

Spot and the other girls looked at Eronn with their mouths open, somewhat shocked at this performance.  Then, with a start, they realized that she couldn't swim.  Spot, who was closest on account of being the one to pull her in, quickly swam over and pulled Eronn so that her head was above the water.

Eronn coughed and sputtered a little as her friends gathered around.  "Why didn't you tell us you couldn't swim?" Moni asked, exasperated.

Eronn frowned, but quickly brightened up when she realized that Spot was holding her up.  Now _that she was enjoying.  "It's kind of embarrassing," she told them.  "I don't really like people to know."_

"Oh come on, we're your friends, you could've told us," Liz pointed out.

"Yeah, right in front of about twenty newsies that I don't know very well.  Sure."

"Eh, don't worry about what they think," Spot told her.  "Half of them can't swim either."

"Really?" Eronn asked.

Spot nodded.  "That is, until we teach them how to swim."

Eronn's eyes got wide, realizing what he meant.  "Oh no," she said, trying to break from Spot's grasp, which was not very smart considering that she couldn't swim.  "You are _not going to teach me how to swim.  I just want to get on dry land."_

"C'mon, you gotta learn how to swim someday!"

"Spot, do you know how many people have tried to teach me how to swim?  And how many people have failed?"

"I've never met a single person who couldn't learn how to swim," Spot told her.  "It's easy, you'll see."

***********************************************

An hour later, the girls and Spot were sitting on edge of the deck with their feet hanging over the edge.

"That was really easy, huh Spot?" Liz teased.

"Told you I couldn't swim," Eronn said, sticking out her lower lip.  "Nobody listens to me."

"What?" Moni asked, teasing, which resulted in a playful slap from Eronn.

"Y'know, that was really entertaining.  I'll never forget it." Natalie said happily.

Spot glared at them.  "She wasn't even trying," he said defensively.

But Eronn had been trying, and they all knew it, as Moni pointed out a minute later.  

"It was really nice of you to try though," Eronn told him.  "Most people wouldn't even bother.  It was very noble of you," she said, perfectly serious.

"Oh, of course it was," Spot said.  "I'm naturally that way."

"Sure Spot."

"If you say so."

"Don't give up your day job."

"What does _that have to do with anything?" Liz asked Natalie.  _

"It sounded good to me!"

"But it didn't fit at all in our random responses Natalie!" Moni told her, exasperated.

"We have a name for those?" Eronn asked.  "Cool!"

Spot laughed.  "You four are the strangest girls I have ever met!"

"Thanks."

"We know."

"And we're proud of it."

"Damn proud of it!"

Spot laughed again, shaking his head.  "What time do you have to get back?"

"Oh, we should really get going soon guys," Liz told them.  "We told the boys we'd be back by dinner."

"Yeah, guess we'd better head out then," Natalie told him.

They all stood up and began walking off the dock, onto dry land.  "Well thanks so much Spot!" Moni told him.

"It was no big deal," he told them.  "Oh, and for the record, you guys are welcome in Brooklyn anytime you like."

"Really?  Thanks Spot!" Eronn said, as they walked off.

"Anytime we like, huh?" Moni asked the girls, a mischevious inflection in her voice.  "Anytime as in crack of dawn time?  As in middle of the night time?  As in…"

"Calm down Moni," Natalie told her.  "He obviously meant _any time."_

The other girls looked at her with blank looks on their faces.  "As in any time we get bored and want to annoy someone, any time we want to be entertained – do you get what I'm saying?"

"So you're saying that we should annoy the heck out of them until we overstay our welcome?" Liz asked slowly.  She considered that.  "Sounds fun.  I'm in."

"Oh no!" Eronn said.  "You three are not ruining this for me!"

"What, you think Spot's going to stop liking you because we annoy him?" Natalie asked.

"That's exactly what I mean!"

"Eronn, Spot's not going to stop liking you for some stupid reason like that," Moni told her sensibly.  "Plus," she added under her breath, "no one said we had to bring you."

"I heard that!" Eronn said as they crossed into Manhattan, and they continued arguing about it until they reached the Lodging House, whereupon the argument stopped, never to be brought up again.

*********************************************

Hours later, it was dark out and the girls were back at the Lodging House playing poker with the rest of the newsies when Race and Jack walked in, both looking like they had had a really long day.

"Why so quiet Jacky-boy?" Moni asked him.  'Feeling sorry for yourself, huh?"  She nodded knowingly.  "Well, you certainly have enough to feel bad about, y'know, being such a terrible person and all," she said with a bright smile.

Jack merely muttered a "shut up" and moved outside to the fire escape.  "What's wrong with him?" Moni asked, baffled that for once he took her ribbing seriously.

"Um, 'Santa Fe' ring any bells?" Eronn asked her, which only served to confuse the rest of the newsies.

Moni got it, however.  "Oh, you mean he's feeling all sorry for himself because he doesn't have a family so perfect that it makes you sick, like David's?"

"Huh?" came out of all the newsies mouths. 

"Pretty much," Liz said.  "But don't mention that name around me.  You know how I feel about that person."

"Oh, you mean the fact that you're secretly in love with him, only hiding you passion, and that he'd follow you around like a little lost puppy if you asked him to?" Eronn asked, grinning.

"Sounds like an accurate assessment to me," Natalie conceded.

"Shut up."

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Mush interrupted.

"Stuff that you guys don't know about yet," Moni told him.  

"It's complicated," Liz told him.  

"So you guys know why Jack's so down tonight?" Race asked, skeptical.

The girls nodded.  "And I know just the way to cheer him up, too," Moni said, with an expression that greatly resembled that of the Grinch's (as in the one who stole Christmas).

"Moni, what are you going to do?" Natalie asked.

"Just wait and see," she told them.  "You'll know it when it happens."

TBC…

Please review!


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